AMERICA AT WAR
How Lexington and Concord Turned a British Raid Into Open War
A British raid meant to seize military stores instead set Massachusetts’ militia network into motion and turned a political crisis into open war.
A British expedition to seize military stores at Concord set Massachusetts’ alarm network in motion. By nightfall on April 19, 1775, the retreat to Boston had become an 18-mile fight and the opening of open war.
Late on April 18, 1775, British troops gathered on Boston Common for a march to Concord. General Thomas Gage had ordered Lieutenant Colonel Francis Smith to lead roughly 700 regulars west to seize provincial artillery, powder, and other military stores. The mission was meant to move quickly and quietly. It did neither for long. [2][5]
By the next evening, Smith’s column had fought its way back to Charlestown under naval protection. British losses were 73 killed, 174 wounded, and 26 missing; colonial losses were 49 killed, 39 wounded, and 5 missing. Thousands of militiamen had gathered around Boston. What began as a raid for military supplies had brought armed conflict into the open. [3]
The Alarm Reaches the Countryside
The British crossed the Charles River by boat to Cambridge around 10 p.m. Lanterns displayed at Old North Church signaled their route, while Paul Revere and William Dawes set out on separate roads to spread the warning. Their rides were part of a much larger alarm system: couriers, militia officers, bells, and local communities relayed the news from town to town. [2]
Revere reached Lexington around 12:30 a.m. and warned Samuel Adams and John Hancock at the Hancock-Clarke House. Later, British officers detained Revere in Lincoln, but Dr. Samuel Prescott escaped and continued toward Concord. That warning gave local people time to move or hide much of the material the British had come to seize. [2]
The familiar story of a lone rider can obscure what made the alarm effective. Massachusetts relied on a network of people who knew local roads, militia officers, and vulnerable supply sites.
Lexington Green
Before sunrise, Captain John Parker assembled roughly 70 to 77 Lexington militiamen on the town green. They faced the British advance force led by Major John Pitcairn. Parker’s company was badly outnumbered, but its presence placed armed townsmen in the path of the expedition. [2]
No one can be identified with confidence as the person who fired the first shot. Colonial and British witnesses gave conflicting accounts. The Massachusetts Provincial Congress later collected testimony supporting the colonial position that British troops fired first, while Gage’s account blamed provincials. The evidence does not settle the question. [4][5]
British volleys and a bayonet charge followed. Eight Lexington men were killed and 10 wounded; one British soldier was wounded. The regulars then continued toward Concord. [2]
The dispute over Lexington continued after the shooting stopped. The Provincial Congress commissioned 20 depositions involving 94 participants and witnesses, then sent the accounts across the colonies and to London. The fighting was also a contest over who would be seen as the aggressor. [4]
North Bridge: An Order to Return Fire
Smith’s force reached Concord that morning and searched public buildings, private property, and farms for military stores. The raid found some supplies, but much of the material associated with Colonel James Barrett’s farm had already been relocated or concealed. [2][5]
Outside town, militia companies from Concord, Acton, and nearby communities gathered in growing numbers. Roughly 400 men advanced toward North Bridge under Major John Buttrick, where British regulars guarded the crossing. [1][2]
At North Bridge, the colonial force moved forward as organized companies under local officers. Buttrick ordered his men to return fire. Captain Isaac Davis of Acton, who led men near the front of the advancing column, was among the first Americans killed there. [1]
The encounter marked a clearer military exchange than the confused fighting at Lexington. Colonial officers had advanced their companies and ordered a response to British fire.
The Long Retreat to Charlestown
By midday, Smith’s command began withdrawing toward Boston. The return route became an 18-mile running fight. Militia companies converged from nearby towns, firing on the column from the roads and terrain they knew, while the British struggled to carry wounded and hold off attacks from their flanks and rear. [1][3]
Lord Hugh Percy arrived east of Lexington around 2:30 p.m. with roughly 1,000 reinforcements and two six-pounder field guns. His brigade provided a defensive screen for Smith’s exhausted men and helped the column keep moving. [3]
The fighting continued through Menotomy, now Arlington, where close combat entered homes and taverns. By evening, the British had reached Charlestown under protection of the royal navy. [1][3]
From Raid to Siege
The immediate objective of the expedition had been to seize provincial military supplies. Instead, it mobilized militia from across New England and left British troops confined to Boston. Thousands of militiamen gathered around the town by the evening of April 19, beginning the Siege of Boston, which lasted 11 months. [3]
Lexington and Concord did not resolve the arguments between Britain and the colonies. They changed the terms of those arguments. A British effort to disarm Massachusetts resistance had met an organized response, and the dispute over imperial authority had become a war.
Frequently Asked Questions
Who fired the first shot at Lexington Green?
The first shooter cannot be identified with confidence. Colonial and British accounts conflicted, and surviving evidence does not resolve the question. [4][5]
What were British troops searching for in Concord?
Gage sent Smith’s force to seize provincial military stores, including artillery, gunpowder, and ammunition associated with Concord and Barrett’s farm. Much of the material had been moved or hidden before the regulars arrived. [2][5]
How many casualties occurred at Lexington and Concord?
British forces suffered 73 killed, 174 wounded, and 26 missing. Colonial forces suffered 49 killed, 39 wounded, and 5 missing. [3]
TIMELINE
Key moments
Sources
- Minute Man National Historical Park — National Park Service, U.S. Department of the Interior
- Today in History - April 19 — Library of Congress
- Lexington and Concord Battle Facts and Summary — American Battlefield Trust
- Lexington and Concord collection, 1775 — William L. Clements Library, University of Michigan
- “An Attack that happened on the 19th of April 1775” — American Battlefield Trust / Massachusetts Historical Society
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